Never saw this ending coming
Tortured Souls
The Avonleya Series
Dark Fantasy, Romantasy, Adult
Tractors & Heels LLC
February 10, 2026
Kindle, Hardcover, Paperback
668
Fate bends to no one except the cursed. The King The safety of his kingdom has been the highest priority for Cethin since the moment he was born, but he’s been on the throne less than a year when new threats find their way to his lands. Past sacrifices mean nothing if he can’t figure out what is hunting his people. Desperate to protect his kingdom but also free Avonleya from the curse that keeps them locked away from the rest of realm, he’ll do anything to ensure his people know peace. Even if that means being a villain in one story to be a savior in another. The Queen When Kailia steps in to save the Avonleyan king from certain death, she never expected to be punished for it. Then again, maybe she’s being punished for accidentally stabbing him a few weeks later. Whatever the reason, she suddenly finds herself forced into a marriage and onto a throne. But she’s not from here. She’s from across the sea where the Avonleyan king is only whispered about. Wicked. Cursed. Cruel. That’s fine. She can be all those things too, and she’ll have to be to get what she came to the kingdom for. She lives for the hunt, and she’s never the prey. The Dragon Avonleya is the only real home he’s ever known, but Razik Greybane is loyal to the kingdom that loves the night, not the arrogant king who sits on the throne. Content with his books and solitude, he only cares for two people: his uncle and the female Fae who can sustain his magic. When his uncle assigns him to be the new queen’s personal guard, Razik agrees. Sure, it’s mainly to figure out the new queen’s ulterior motives, but if he can use the opportunity to undermine Cethin, he’ll take that too. It’s only fair when he’s the reason Razik was abandoned to this realm and cursed to forever fight a destiny he doesn’t want, until he realizes the Fates just might be more involved than they ever realized. The night harbors more than shadows.
“Because sometimes you had to be the villain in one story to be the savior in another.”
New Chaosverse Series
Tortured Souls, the first book in Melissa K. Roehrich’s The Avonleya Series is another high-intensity, dark fantasy voyage into her Chaosverse. Cethin is Avonleya’s new king and he will do whatever he has to do, use whoever he must use, or tempt whatever Fates will answer to dark magic to save his kingdom from the curse that has kept them isolated. Razik, one of two dragon-shifters in the kingdom, was expected to bond with and commit his life to the service of Cethin but he refused. Instead, he begrudgingly serves a king he does not respect or trust, especially when a female Ash Rider suddenly is made queen by Cethin. Kailia’s tortured past haunts her at every turn both mentally and physically. But it won’t stop her mission in Avonleya, which takes an unexpected turn when her Ash Rider magic is stifled, and she has no choice but to marry the king.
“The words were nothing but a whisper. The pained agony of a tortured soul, and for reasons he’d never be able to explain, they had him surging forward. Her eyes went wide, but she didn’t flinch back. Not this time.”
Melissa continues to bring to life her worlds of dark fantasy with her new series and new characters. Written from three points of view: Cethin, Razik, and Kailia, this method helps to weave a more complex web of deception and intrigue. This also makes it impossible to decide who is the protagonist or the antagonist. Just when you might have sympathy for one because you are seeing things from their POV they do something in the next chapter that shatters that idea. This development of “grey” characters, ones who are victims but also willing to viciously accomplish what they want, is a writing style that Melissa has definitely mastered and perfectly utilizes to tell her action-packed, dark and definitely spicey stories. Tortured Souls is a wild ride from beginning to end. Most of the twists and turns in the relationships and the plot I never saw coming. I’m usually not a fan of cliffhangers but this one was not at all what I expected and now I can’t wait for book 2.
Added Bonuses
As always, Melissa gives us so many bonuses with her stories. First off, her covers are gorgeous! That MerryBookRound Designs made a skull look that good is truly impressive. She also has great playlists for each book, that you can find on her website or Spotify, and they help to take the reading experience to another level. Finally, I love how she always shares a piece of herself in the ending notes. Melissa wrote that this series provided new challenges for her as an author. But she used that to encourage us, “Seasons of surviving are okay, friends. They are a part of life, but we’re never meant to stay there. They’re never meant to be a continuous state of being.” This book is dark, with some themes of trauma, but as always, you can find up-to-date info on potential trigger, tropes, and tags on her website as well. The Avonleya Series | Melissa K. Roehrich.
Tanya’s love for books has been a lifelong passion that she likes sharing with others. Reading is also the thing that relaxes her after a day of juggling the many responsibilities that come with being being wife to an amazing man, mother to four great kids spread around the world, business manager, and farm hand on their place in southwest Missouri; home to Akaushi cattle and a menagerie of pygmy goats, horses, chickens, dogs and cats.
